Papy Mendy is on a season-long loan at Nice (Image: Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images)

Loan player news

Slimani to (finally) make Newcastle debut

Exactly two months since Islam Slimani moved to Newcastle on loan, the Algerian will make his debut for the club.

Rafa Benitez has confirmed that the striker will be in his squad to face Huddersfield tomorrow.

Podcast

Why is Vardy under-rated?

Despite being fifth in the Premier League scoring charts, there is a sense that Jamie Vardy is seen as nothing but a speed merchant outside of Leicester.

On this week’s preview podcast, Rob Tanner and James Sharpe not only look ahead to Brighton, but discuss just why Vardy is still under-rated.

Team selector

Three changes?

City fans would like Claude Puel to make three changes to the side that started the FA Cup defeat to Chelsea last time out.

Looking at the most picked line-up on our widget, supporters want to see two switches in the back four, with Aleksandar Dragovic and Christian Fuchs in for Wes Morgan and Ben Chilwell.

Up top, fans would Shinji Okazaki to replace Kelechi Iheanacho, who may be unavailable anyway, having broken his hand on international duty.

Picture

Back in black

Brighton will be in their traditional blue-and-white stripes tomorrow, so it’s the black away kit for Leicester, last worn in a 5-1 defeat to Manchester City...

Internationals

'Kane and Vardy not Kane or Vardy'

After Jamie Vardy’s excellent performance for England against Italy there were a few more calls for City striker to start at the World Cup, with supporters suggesting he’s a better fit for Gareth Southgate’s system than Harry Kane.

“(Vardy’s) qualities are quite obvious to anybody that plays against him.

“His timing is good and he is reliant on a good team behind him and of course the service. When you look at the goal he scored for Leicester at West Brom it’s not only the run but the service that he gets.

“Credit to him, he’s improved as a player and rightly so is part of that England squad that will go in the summer.

“Some of the strengths that we knew Leicester had at that time, we should have done better to nullify, but I think we’ve come on since then.”

Brighton boss Chris Hughton (Image: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

OPINION

Vardy and my TV paranoia

Any City fans who watched the ITV coverage of England’s two games on Friday and Tuesday, might be forgiven for developing a slight sense of paranoia regarding our star striker Jamie Vardy.

Firstly there was the extraordinary occurrence of Vardy’s 22-minute (plus three minutes of time added on) subs appearance against Holland in which he didn’t get a single touch of the ball.

Then against Italy, Vardy was damned with the faint praise of a ‘good finish’. Whether it is big club bias, or the result of my blue-tinted imagination, I don’t know, but I certainly wasn’t the only City fan left feeling annoyed.